Friday, September 6, 2013

How Do You Define Personal Freedom?

If any of you
recall, in June, hubby, friends and I went to the Turks and Caicos for a
fabulous vacation, and on our last day there I learned how to snorkel.I was immensely terrified of doing it, but
had so much nervous excitement, I took the plunge and loved it.As I said in that post, snorkeling opened up
a new world to me because it gave me a new sense of freedom.

After learning of this ‘new sense of freedom,’ two of my
friends became inspired by this.So now
among our friends, we look for Freedom Opportunities. Because of this, my brilliant friend Brittany
decided that Freedom Opportunity needed to be defined.So she, lovely friend Lizzy and I had a long
discussion about what the definition of a Freedom Opportunity should be; I will
admit that most of the discussing occurred between them.I really only came in and added maybe 1 cent
worth of opinion.We knew we did not
want the definition to have a negative vibe or be too vague and
superficial.So among the three of us,
we settled on what we all feel and believe is a great definition that gives true
attention to developing oneself and has some real depth to it.*The definition will be at the end of this
post.*

There are many and various opportunities to experience a
Freedom Opportunity. Here are some things my friends have done recently.

Earlier this summer Brittany and Lizzy went to visit a
friend in Chicago and while there they all attended Chicago’s Gay Pride
parade.Brittany said the feeling in the
atmosphere was that of love and acceptance and that her heart overflowed with
happiness for her fellow human beings.During Gay Pride Brittany posted an assortment of pictures and opinions
on Facebook supporting the LGBT community all the while knowing there would be
much backlash from friends and family members with more traditional family
values.This potential backlash did not
cause her to shy away from firmly stating her beliefs.Brittany’s Freedom Opportunity came in the
form attending a parade where she could show her unbiased love and full
acceptance for all people and their respective lifestyles, her continued
support of the LGBT community and ultimately, her proudly and resolutely
standing up for her beliefs at the risk of angering others.

The day that we defined Freedom Opportunity was the day
Lizzy decided pursue some personal growth in the form of learning another
language.She recognized that there may
be times and situations in her life now, and most likely in the future as well,
where knowing another language could be of immense help in dealing with some people
in various situations.Being limited to
one language is just being limited.Knowing another language opens up the door to understand different
cultures and values, and could make a person feel empowered and confident.

Marvelous friend Megan and her husband learned how to
mechanic their hybrid car a little bit.The main battery in the car died, and they thought of taking it to an
actual mechanic, but with mechanic and parts prices these days, well that
estimate was certainly unreasonable.So
Megan and her husband decided to learn how to fix the problem themselves – so
bring on Google for a search in how to recharge the hybrid car batteries.After finding a particularly helpful
instruction book, they set about recharging the battery.Megan explained the process to me, but as my
memory for how mechanical technicalities work is not so good, I am not going to
attempt to explain it here.But the
point is they did not let this difficulty stump them, and they overcame a
challenge.Learning more about your car,
its various parts and how to make it run properly is a remarkably helpful skill
set to have, and now Megan and her husband have had a Freedom Opportunity.

I am going to have an astonishing Freedom Opportunity
tomorrow (Sept 7th), but I do not want to write about it here or
even barely mention what I will be doing.Suffice it to say, it will be so magnificent that it will deserve its
own post!

Something to keep in mind about a Freedom Opportunity –Do
not be a false opportunist.Brittany was
talking with a friend who thought a Freedom Opportunity could justify him
smoking occasionally when not drinking.No; thoughts similar to this and their subsequent actions are not the
point of a Freedom Opportunity.Freedom
Opportunities are for you to being open to experiences and adventures which
will make you a better you.Freedom Opportunities
are supposed to be good for the soul, make you a better, stronger, happier you.

Don't just stand there - go chase your dreams, change
careers or companies, move to a new city/state/country, start a business that
you are passionate about, join or establish a club, try your hand at learning to
play an instrument, stand up for your beliefs, take college courses that do not
result in a degree, learn home and car repairs or anything else that will make
you joyful, empowered and/or enlightened.Do not not try things out of fear or idleness or difficulty, as we all
have one ride on this merry-go-round of life.Have fun, challenge yourself and be empowered and encouraged!

And now for the definition for a Freedom Opportunity as I
am sure you are twitching in your seats for it -

A
freedom opportunity encourages one to conquer fears, overcome stagnancy, rise
above challenges, pursue personal growth, and lets one delight in a whole new
world.

Thank you Lizzy and Brittany for deciding that seeking Freedom
Opportunities needed to be a trend/movement. Thank you Megan for believing this
needed to be posted.

About Me

I am happily married and work full-time in the personal lines insurance industry. Hubby and I eloped to Las Vegas in May 2009 and then became dog parents in January 2010. Dog takes up quite a bit of time but he is goofy and so much fun.

My early years were made of riding horses and competing in various events in rodeos. That was a great way to grow up. Hubby and I moved to Atlanta in 2007. I really enjoyed living in the city and all of the exciting things you can do here; then we moved in 2014 to NC and now live in the out in country. Quite a different pace of life to say the least!